BEDSIDE LAPAROSCOPY AS DIAGNOSTIC TOOL REVIEW OF ABDOMINAL PATHOLOGIES IN CRITICALLY ILL PATIENTS: REVIEW

Introduction: The diagnosis of abdominal pathologies in critically ill patients is often difficult because of inconclusive laboratory tests or imaging results, or the inability to safely transfer a patient to the radiology room. These causes give a delayed diagnosis of abdominal pathology in the intensive care unit (ICU) and increase rate of morbidity and mortality. The aim of this retrospective study is to evaluate the safety and diagnostic accuracy of bedside diagnostic laparoscopy in the identification of intra-abdominal pathology in critically ill patients. Aim: The aim of this retrospective study is to evaluate the safety and diagnostic accuracy of bedside diagnostic laparoscopy in the identification of intra-abdominal pathology in critically ill patients. Materials and Methods: A literature research was carried out including PubMed, Medline, Embase, Cochrane and Google Scholar databases to identify articles reporting on importance of diagnostic accuracy of bedside diagnostic laparoscopy in the identification of intra-abdominal pathology in critically ill patients. Conclusions: Bedside diagnostic laparoscopy represents a safe and accurate technique for diagnosing intraabdominal pathology in an ICU setting and should be taken into consideration when patient transfer to radiology or the operating room is considered unsafe or when routine radiological examinations are not conclusive enough to reach a definite diagnosis. Keywords: Bedside laparoscopy, critically ill patients, ultrasonography (US), computed tomography (CT) , emergency surgery